Primary Teachers - your thoughts?

[Beach Mama]

Freya - that is definitely true about the hours. Although there is all the extra stuff you can choose where you do it too. I know some teachers who love taking their stuff home and sitting in front of the tv while they correct or do planning. I don't get anything done at all with the kids around, and although my first class isn't until 9:30 I am at school at 7:30 on the days i work so I can do everything I need to do before they arrive, or I stay back as long as I can (usually til 5:30) to get it done so I don't have to take it home. Yes it is a long day but as you said it is all relative and it's not 3am and having to do things then. If you are super organised too it really helps!

[Freya]

Freya - that is definitely true about the hours. Although there is all the extra stuff you can choose where you do it too. I know some teachers who love taking their stuff home and sitting in front of the tv while they correct or do planning. I don't get anything done at all with the kids around, and although my first class isn't until 9:30 I am at school at 7:30 on the days i work so I can do everything I need to do before they arrive, or I stay back as long as I can (usually til 5:30) to get it done so I don't have to take it home. Yes it is a long day but as you said it is all relative and it's not 3am and having to do things then. If you are super organised too it really helps!

My DHs work hours are pretty good and sometimes flexible (7:30-4:00) so if I stayed after school to get work done it wouldnt be a biggie. Dh is pretty good at helping with the kids so I could def get some alone time to do things.

Do you have to work full time initially as a new teacher? Im definately open to part time or casual work, we wont rely on my wage so its not essential I work full time, as a casual I could take breaks between stints if Dh is going to be away or what not.
Do you get preferences of grades and schools or does the Ed Dept just send you wherever?

[Just Me]

I can only speak for Queensland but no, you don't have to work full time. Casual teaching is relief teaching and I wouldn't recommend it in your first year because some of it can be pretty attrocious. If you don't want to do much outside of hours, it's not bad at all because you don't have the planning and marking to do. You don't know if you are working most of the time until they ring you early in the morning and tell you where to go. You can pick up some planned casual days (where you know ahead of time). State ed was paying about $54 a hour for relief teachers the last time I did it (at the beginning of 2007) so it has probably gone up by now. The money is not bad but obviously no holiday or sick pay. If you are not relying on a steady income, then it's great bonus money.

You can also pick up contract work which is a temporary contract only spanning a set period of time and it can be full time or part time - it is to fill in for teachers on maternity leave/annual leave/extended sick leave.

Permanant work can be full time or part time and it really is up for negotiation if you want to work part time with whoever your teaching partner is. I have spoken to a lot of teachers who do part time and say that the outside of school hours work is almost as much as when they were full time because of all the extra co-ordination they have to do with the teacher who is sharing their class. If you get into a team where you and the other teacher get along really well, it works incredibly well though. I have some friends who share teach .5 each but if they want to have a week off, the other one will go full time to cover their days and then they repay the favour. It makes work very flexible for them, but they do work hard to make it work.

I would really recommend, if possible, getting into a classroom full time for your first year out of uni just because it gives you a chance to really get your head in the game and get a grasp of how it all works. Share teaching is a whole different ball game and I think there is something really nice about having your own class and getting to know them.

In Queensland you also need Teacher Registration which is provisional until you have done so many hours and the principal of the school you are working at has signed you off on those hours and written a report. You then need to maintain your teacher registration by doing so many hours of teaching a year, so many hours of professional development etc. If you let is lapse for 5 years and do nothing, you lose your teaching registration. I don't know if the other states are similar so I thought I would put it in here in case it was.

The first year out for most teachers is incredibly stressful - very rewarding but stressful. I found it a very tiring and emotional year. I am not trying to turn you off but I think you need to be prepared that it is not easy. Most schools expect you to participate in extra curriculum meetings and sometimes mentoring programs, sometime extra reporting and accountability to the school as well. Admin staff come down at varying times to observe your teaching and make assessments, some schools expect you to keep clear accurate lesson plans, daily plans and some of these have to be submitted along with unit plans and anything else the school requires. It is a very big year of growth and it is a lot about being thrown in the deep end. It does get easier after that first year, but make sure you have a good support network both within the school and outside of school. It really makes a difference.

[mrsmac]

I am pretty sure I remember that your DH is in the army ? I have to say nursing is much more portable than teaching. Each state has its own regulations in education and some can be very hard to get a job in. I was lucky when we moved to NT with the army in 1999 to get a job but i think it has got harder since then. You will not get a permanent job in NSW for years unless you are a targeted graduate, casual teaching will most likely be your only option for a while anyway.
My SIL is a nurse and her partner is navy and she has been able to get work whichever state they have been posted in.

[Just Me]

I don't get it really - they advertise teacher shortages and say they need more but permanant jobs are really hard to come by in Queensland as well. They do have the odd job for first year out teachers (and maybe you could 'accidentally' write your gender in as male on your application form because they get permanant jobs regardless of how well they do or don't do - if they pass, they get jobs because they have to fill a quota of ratios in schools of male to female teachers) but the jobs for first year teachers are few and far between. I thought it might be different in other states, but NSW sounds as bad as here.

[Ginger]

I got an ongoing position in my first year out. The majority of my friends who are teachers down here have also got permanent positions.....so maybe all the states are different? idk?

[*Ali*]

It is pretty tough in WA to get a permenant position, especially if you are not prepared to teach in the country in your first few year. I have just about finished my 7th year teaching and I only just got my permenancy this year, and that is with doing a country stint for 2 years as well. The staffing system in WA is shocking though, it is as good as a glorified lotto system.